School sats to be scrapped?

7 Sep 2008

It seems at last that the current sat tests for children could well be scrapped next year. I wonder why?
These tests have mainly been for the sole purpose of the schools and their target figures. It was so unfair to put kids through tests where it seemed only the schools benefited.
So now they are going to be scrapped and replaced by something else. Why do the people who make these decisions keep changing things. It certainly seems sometimes NOT for the better.
Read this link and hopefully have a few replies. lol

7 Sep 2008

If we don't change direction soon, we'll end up where we are going! :giggle:
Sam xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

7 Sep 2008

Quote by blonde
If we don't change direction soon, we'll end up where we are going! :giggle:
Sam xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Or back where we started! wave

8 Sep 2008

All move to Wales biggrin

:D :D :D
SATS were for Year 2 and Year 6 pupils. Luckily for my tribe, these pointless tests were scrapped the year my eldest started Year 2 and he is now in year 6 and yes he will have some form of tests at the end of the year, but not to the stress levels of SATS. I for one would not be happy for my kids to be out through such stress at age 7. It bad enough when they get to secondary school. It has been replaced with assessments conducted by teachers which tbh are only for the benefit of the teachers in the juniors.
Oh another thing that is not sensationalised in Wales is school league tables. Lessens the competition between schools and offers better education in my view
Mich
xx

9 Sep 2008

Quote by mickandmich
All move to Wales :D :D :D
SATS were for Year 2 and Year 6 pupils. Luckily for my tribe, these pointless tests were scrapped the year my eldest started Year 2 and he is now in year 6 and yes he will have some form of tests at the end of the year, but not to the stress levels of SATS. I for one would not be happy for my kids to be out through such stress at age 7. It bad enough when they get to secondary school. It has been replaced with assessments conducted by teachers which tbh are only for the benefit of the teachers in the juniors.
Oh another thing that is not sensationalised in Wales is school league tables. Lessens the competition between schools and offers better education in my view
Mich
xx

Why is this poxy Goverment so obsessed with bloody figures? :shock:
Figures mean nothing when you are manipulating them, which they do with everything.
Teachers must sometimes feel like pulling their hair out, no wonder so many superb teachers have left teaching.... Can you blame them?

9 Sep 2008

Quote by kentswingers777
Why is this poxy Goverment so obsessed with bloody figures? :shock:
Figures mean nothing when you are manipulating them, which they do with everything.

You just answered yourself.

9 Sep 2008

Quote by kentswingers777
Why is this poxy Goverment so obsessed with bloody figures? :shock:
Figures mean nothing when you are manipulating them, which they do with everything.
Teachers must sometimes feel like pulling their hair out, no wonder so many superb teachers have left teaching.... Can you blame them?

Nope, can't blame them at all. The new assessment regime will be much more accurate too - it won't be based on a child's performance on one occasion.

9 Sep 2008

Education from GCSE upwards has moved towards course work and assessment over time, rather than only being assessed under test conditions. It's beyond me why the primary stage hasn't moved in this direction too. After a year of being with a class, I think that the class teacher has a very, very accurate understanding of the child's abilities...few young children do themselves justice in tests. I'm sure twe'll have a few more other hoops to jump through. I heard that history and geography may be taken out of the National Curriculum in the next 2 years (aaaggghhh!).

9 Sep 2008

Quote by Freckledbird

Why is this poxy Goverment so obsessed with bloody figures? :shock:
Figures mean nothing when you are manipulating them, which they do with everything.
Teachers must sometimes feel like pulling their hair out, no wonder so many superb teachers have left teaching.... Can you blame them?

Nope, can't blame them at all. The new assessment regime will be much more accurate too - it won't be based on a child's performance on one occasion.
I tell you what FB I would not want your job. All that fluffing about you have to do. I take me hat off to you. xx

9 Sep 2008

Quote by Bjlips2008
I heard that history and geography may be taken out of the National Curriculum in the next 2 years (aaaggghhh!).

And presumably they'll be leaving Religious Education in there too? rolleyes

9 Sep 2008

Ahh well, modern society prefers people with no knowledge of history and education in general, everything that happens in education serves a purpose (which has usually nothing to do with the "good of the kids")

10 Sep 2008

Quote by kentswingers777
These tests have mainly been for the sole purpose of the schools and their target figures. It was so unfair to put kids through tests where it seemed only the schools benefited.

As a teacher I fail to see how schools benefited from the SATS. In all my years in the classroom I never heard 1 teacher who wanted the SAT's. Most resented the amount of time it took to "teach to the SAT's" which was time better spent just getting on with the general job of educating. Also there were the audits, inspections, marking, etc etc creating more and more work and stress for the teachers and children alike.
Before the SAT's were administered we had to make a teacher assessment of each child in each subject and at the end the result was invariably that children were just where the teachers assessed them. Result? A total waste of time. Trust the teachers more. They know what they are doing.
We were on a benchmark system (associating like with like) which didn't help at all. If the school came out below their benchmark then they were castigated. If they came out above then they were looked at with suspicion. A no win with the children missing out the most. This was always a Govt initiative with their crazy ideas of paying by results etc etc.
mad

10 Sep 2008

Quote by buckingfabe

These tests have mainly been for the sole purpose of the schools and their target figures. It was so unfair to put kids through tests where it seemed only the schools benefited.

As a teacher I fail to see how schools benefited from the SATS. In all my years in the classroom I never heard 1 teacher who wanted the SAT's. Most resented the amount of time it took to "teach to the SAT's" which was time better spent just getting on with the general job of educating. Also there were the audits, inspections, marking, etc etc creating more and more work and stress for the teachers and children alike.
Before the SAT's were administered we had to make a teacher assessment of each child in each subject and at the end the result was invariably that children were just where the teachers assessed them. Result? A total waste of time. Trust the teachers more. They know what they are doing.
We were on a benchmark system (associating like with like) which didn't help at all. If the school came out below their benchmark then they were castigated. If they came out above then they were looked at with suspicion. A no win with the children missing out the most. This was always a Govt initiative with their crazy ideas of paying by results etc etc.
mad

As a teacher you know that better than most.
Maybe I put it wrongly, I did not mean to say teachers benefited from the sats, I meant the school. As in governors and the heads. Teachers just get given new measures and new targets to meet, which is usually different from what you had been doing the year before.
Why cant they just leave things alone, and let the teachers teach? I have said that for years now. The kids would be far better off that way. What the hell does some suited and booted minister sitting in his snug office know? dunno